Trapped (Warriors 92, Spurs 102)

On Friday night, the Warriors lacked just about every trait that has made them a surprise success this post-season. The hot shooting, the tight defense, the aggressive hustle — all gone. In their place, forced shots, porous defense and sagging energy. While Mark Jackson tried to put a brave face on things in the post-game press conference — retreating to his well-worn “It’s a make or miss league” explanation — the players had a more difficult time masking their disappointment. They seemed to fully grasp that they had squandered an advantage they fought so hard to win. The uncertainty hanging over Stephen Curry’s status following yet another tweaked ankle only amplified the disappointment. After what we’ve seen from this team, I won’t doubt their resiliency until they’re officially sent packing from the post-season, but Game 3 saw the Spurs returning to their style of basketball. That’s a big problem. If the Warriors are going to prolong this season, they’ll need to come up with some new answers for Game 4.

For the first eight quarters of this series, the Warriors had held the Spurs to under 50% shooting. Against a hyper-efficient, execution-based team like the Spurs, that’s a huge accomplishment. In Game 3, that string ended. The Spurs shot 65% in the first quarter, building a lead that they never relinquished. Tony Parker will get the headlines — he was 6-8 in the quarter for 13 points — but he was getting better looks thanks to the Spurs’ system. Tiago Splitter’s return to the starting line-up gave San Antonio another body to set picks. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry ended up going under a lot of them early in the game, and were badly burned in the process. Jarrett Jack often ran smack into them, leaving his man wide open for an unobstructed run to the basket. By the time some of the Warriors ramped up their defensive intensity and started fighting and chasing the way they had in San Antonio, the Spurs’ lead had already risen to double digits. Once the Spurs have a lead, they know how to keep it.

The drop in defensive execution and effort severely limited the Warriors’ chances for a win — when the Spurs shoot above 50%, they’re nearly invincible — but they made things doubly difficult with poor offensive performances as well. Curry got hot very early (3-5), but then struggled under increased San Antonio pressure in the second quarter (0-4). Gregg Popovich solved the defensive riddle posed by the Curry/Thompson backcourt. Rather than pulling help from one player to another, the Spurs kept a single guard or wing on Curry, but then pulled Duncan or another big man to trap at the top of the arc. Suddenly, one of Curry’s favorite spots for crossing over and creating space became a too-crowded tangle of quick hands and long limbs. Curry and Jackson never seemed to fully figure it out, eventually deferring to Jarrett Jack for ball handling in the center of the court. After all the heroics and blistering shooting in previous games, Curry took only 2 shots in a crucial fourth quarter with home court advantage in the balance. That would be a disappointing line for an average player, let alone one bordering on elite.

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Jarrett Jack will take much of the heat for the Warriors’ disastrously stagnant fourth quarter, but it’s not entirely his fault. Jack over-dribbles and often misses teammates so open that half the Arena is calling for a pass. When Jack runs the team, the ball doesn’t zip around like it does earlier in the game. He forces shots, often when he’s wound down the clock so far that he has no choice but to heave up one. These slow-motion-train-wreck moments are products both of Jack’s limitations and the context in which he’s asked to run the team. When Jack takes over in the fourth, Curry and Thompson have already expended a ton of energy on both the offensive and defensive end. They move less without the ball than they do earlier in the game, giving Jack fewer open teammates to hit with passes. When Jackson goes small, as he did for the second half of the fourth quarter, the Warriors lose their best pick-setter, making it even more difficult for the guards to gain some separation from their marks. These circumstances don’t excuse Jack dribbling out the clock for 18-20 seconds only to end up with a Carl Landry jumper from 18 feet, but they at least reduce the fear that we have another Monta-level hero-ball junkie on our hands. That’s not Jack, even when games like this one make him look like one.

It’s ultimately Mark Jackson’s call whether the team is better off with Jack or Curry handling the ball in these late-game situations. The knock on Curry used to be that he was a poor decision-maker at the end of games and a turnover waiting to happen. But I think his care with the ball has generally improved — and Jack’s care isn’t exactly top-notch, as he showed late in the fourth. The main advantage of having Jack handle is to get Curry off the ball where he can get shots, but those shots never materialized against the Spurs defense late in the game. If Curry isn’t going to get clean looks by being off the ball, I’d rather have him handling it. His creativity and vision give him a better chance than Jack of generating open looks for teammates. The double-teams that Curry will draw also increases the chance for finding a weak seam to exploit. Jack rarely receives any type of help coverage. Frustratingly, when some sort of help does arrive, Jack often simply pulls back to half-court rather than attempting to find some mismatch or open man. Despite being 5-17 for the game, Curry was one of the few players with a positive plus-minus figure. Even when Curry’s shot isn’t falling, he’s finding ways to help the team. Jackson needs to let his superstar be a superstar, not some off-the-ball decoy.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, Curry and Jack weren’t the only ones struggling against the Spurs’ defense. Thompson kept true to form, saving his big games for the road and more lackluster ones for Oracle Arena. He took the most fourth quarter shots of any Warrior (8), but only managed to connect on 2 of them. Bogut was a force early but was gradually taken out of the game by foul trouble and Popovitch’s intentional fouling. His ability to guard the rim — denying high percentage looks — was greatly missed during his absence. Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Carl Landry didn’t have bad nights, but there was no break-out star among the three as there have been in other post-Lee injury game. Speaking of Lee, he had a productive cameo in the second quarter but didn’t make another appearance. He hit two nice buckets and seemed to be moving decently. That said, his defense on one hip looks a lot like his defense at full strength.

If the Warriors are going to win this series, they need to let Stephen Curry be a superstar. Of course, Curry’s body needs to let him be a superstar as well. There was an audible groan in the arena when Curry rolled his ankle. We likely won’t know until Sunday the full extent of the injury. The Warriors’ run in the playoffs this year had been largely a dream. On Friday night in the fourth quarter, it started looking like a familiar nightmare.

Ginobili on Curry: “He’s a player that, you may see him playing (with) one leg and one arm, and you’ve got to guard him.”

zgo

I’m pretty darn happy right now.
I give alot of credit to coach Jackson as I have been critical at times.
Also I will apologize to Lacob. I am happy with him and his overall actions. Thank goodness he is our owner and not Cohan any more.

Can we all agree now that the key to the Warriors success is having Curry and Bogut in the game together. Really when those two are in together or one or both are out its a tale of two games…always. And can Mark Jackson please stop capitulating to Pop when he goes Hack a Bogut.

The Warriors don’t win this game without Jack….period. Yes, he made more dumb plays today and, yes again, the ball movement slows when he’s pounding, but he was there only guy keeping the team alive for a big stretch of the game.

I’m not sure why the Warriors can’t execute well on their high picks and their screens when Bogut is out. The offense just struggles. Baffles me. But make no mistake about it, Bogut changes the game on both sides when he is in there. He and Curry are the two biggest impact players on the team.

zgo

Nice point about Bogut SOA.
I am very anxious to see him play with a whole summer and preseason being healthy. We should have an even better season next year.
I still hold my breath with Curry, but man is he special. And Festus is going to be better also.

Untrapped, and they didn’t have to gnaw their own foot (or ankle) off to do it.

I actually thought the refs were not horrible, and in a way the fact that Jack didn’t win it in regulation after the missed call with Bogut out of bounds, helps to avoid a tainted win. But ref’ing is f’ing hard, and I do not think they decided the game today. And it’s not so fun to talk about.

I thought Barnes was going to flush that 3 that came off softly from Curry, to tie the game and momentum would swing then. But the W’s did not get flustered and persisted fantastically. And no bonehead errors late in the game or regulation.

I’m still cool with Jack, but even convinced my wife to agree with what Son of Ahmed said above, that you’ve got to keep Bogut on the court. And Zume too with the the trust in hack-a-Bogut, the W’s stopped the Spurs after the first HAB and Bogut hit his first free throw. Playing percentages if Ahmed is Muslim, and Zume clearly Christian, and me a Charismatic Agnostic can all agree, I hope Rev Jax’ God will pass along the good news.

Now foul trouble on Bogut in San Antonio will be huge, but this was a desperation game and a crucial desperation win. And a huge part of it was the same play call, Curry pick, left hand pass to Landry, that didn’t get it done against the Lakers. So that’s got to feel sweet too…

Lastly, I’m still rolling with Jack. His overdribbling was more purposeful tonight, that Steve Nash impersonation was him LOOKING for someone, but coming up empty and then hitting a shot with huevos in the lane.

Plus how about him handing the ball to a front row fan for a lucky touch late in the game. Class act…dribble or no dribble.

Happy day to all you mothers…and others

Ben Brung

Barnes, Jack & Bogut were the big 3 dragging us back into that game. I wasn’t a huge fan of the last shot of regulation but it’s forgivable since Jack did have the hot hand.

Timeout-of-the-Year w/ Parker sprinting to foul Bogut & perfect timing getting him back in @ 2:08 w/ W’s on D. Of course I’m only saying this because I was signalling for the t.o. when it was called and yelling for Bogut @ 2:08. It’s impossible to resist thinking the coach is a genius when he is responding to what you are yelling at the TV.